Journal Of Marsys Lightouch 17th of Readying 636 CY

17th of Readying 636 CY

I am not sure I can cover everything, but I can indeed summarize. After helping the Pirate Captain escape we followed the map to their secret cove. First, I want to say that any group of pirates who hide in the system of coves and caves that are on the peninsula into the Nry Dyv are not unique. Those who hide in the ones rumored to connect to the cavern system of Castle Greyhawk are either insane or possessing of the largest brass tacs (to put it civilly) that I have ever known.

But that is exactly what this Red Jack did. We were met by his flan first mate, who seemed almost like a butler. He tidied up, made sure things were moving smoothly and protected the sanity of his boss…the general assistant to a noble. But just the basics of our story were enough that the first mate knew that his master could not hear it second hand. So he went and brought him.

And it turned out the pirate was indeed a Von Slythe who had survived the castle. In fact he seems to be Will’s friend from childhood…you don’t punch someone like that unless you like them. But..moved ahead there…will was a bit angry that he never informed people that he was alive. He maintained he thought they all died. She hit him…and then a death knight attacked.

I never really wanted to be able to describe a massive attack of fire and hate and negative energy…but but that is what filled the one side of the cove and destroyed one of the three pirate ships. Marcus called it the abyssal blast of a Death Knight. All I know it I think I saw the merest fragment of the fires of hell…and in a way it was somehow more sad than terrifying. The Knight itself, was the terrifying part. Obviously ancient and Baklunish…he hovered above the water near the mouth of the cave. He was accompanied by several devils. Things then are a bit of a jumble from my perspective. I attacked one of the devils with a fishing net then used my magic dagger to repeatedly stab it in the face. While I was so occupied, a woman dressed in ancient Suel dress appeared on the deck of the pirate warship. The cave mouth filled with a wall of ice and all retreat was cut off. The Death Knight joined her on the deck and it was obvious she was in charge…kind of the same way my aunt Bertha is in charge of my uncle Selby….aggressively.

I was involved with the demons…but it seems they had Will’s friend’s brother hostage and although we rescued him, he turned out to be working for them and teleported away with Jack. Everyone was stunned and we figured out where they went and how we had three days until they would be on this plane again so we could stop them turning Jack into Asmodeus’ new formal wear.

But just then a whale broke through the ice wall and life became fun again. It was Jevan’s aunt…who is super fun. Like water slide into the Nyr Dyv fun. She said this was an Elsewhale and it would take us to any plane that had a body of water. Which was good because she had a message from good old Rutherford Seafire. And he discovered that the Soul Gem is locked by two keys…one of chaos and one of Law. There were four of these keys two needed, one law and one chaos, to unlock the soul gem. Bartholomew already have the key from hell (law) and limbo (chaos). We had to go to Pandemonium and Celestia.

On Pandemonium we discovered that Villius’sword was special and made there…not evil, but crazy sonic. I mean howling wind sonic while we were there. We had to go to a winter place where a trickster god from another plane made us fight winter wolves and frost giants. But the true reason was not a test for the key…but to see how we fought. He apparently, for giving us the key, was allowed to have worshipers on Oerth. And felt that he may have conflict with us in future because he is a jerkface deity with mad crazies in his eyes. That is my professional assessment.

We then took the elsewhale and traveled from the headwaters of the river Styx to the Celestial Sea of Holy Water. Letting us out into the sea, it was like nothing I had ever experienced. An massive body of holy water, gently undulating against a distant shore occupied by a platinum palace that sat at the foot of an impossibly large mountain. I knew…somewhere up that mountain lay the Green fields of Yondalla, the Halfling Mother Goddess. I passed into blissful unconsciousness in the Holy Water sea thinking of our home above all homes.

I was pleasantly surprised when I awoke in the Green Fields but became distressed when I could not find my allies and knew also… that we wanted to go to the first layer and not here. I thought, as I became still with the thought… did I die? Did I… in an attempt to secure a magical key, do the stupid thing of drowning in holy water on the shores of heaven? Oh dear Yondalla…was I that stupid?

A voice from the corner laughed a response, “No, Marsys. You are not stupid at all.”

I looked in the corner and saw a beautiful woman knitting. A still smoking pipe rested beside her and she looked at me with the kindest eyes. I lied to my friend Will when I met her on the way to Bahamut’s palace. I told her I did not meet my goddess. Because Yondalla said it was not the time yet to tell them what I was about to know. I don’t like lying. But for now, I am allowed to tell my mother but no one else. Until we are done with the tower and the quest begins. Trust me that last line is not lost of me. Until the quest begins… So everything until now has been preparation.

I met Will, who was in her god’s heaven. And we went to meet our friends at the palace of the god of Good Dragons. The place was breathtaking. Platinum and jewels formed the castle. It was the prized jewel of the multiverse. The palace of the Platinum Dragon. A citadel of Good at the foot of heaven. We had dinner with Bahamut and 7 of his most powerful Great Wyrm Gold Dragons.

He gave us the key and told us we could stay in our own heavens if they were here. But first we would eat and discuss what we needed to know. He told us getting the Soul Gem was the most important thing. That the other Bartholomew was corrupted by the mad god and twisted by the Codex. We found out Idrys was followed by a demon he summoned when he was a elf tyke.

The rest, I will leave for others to tell. Charmalaine forgive me, it is a strange thing to do in an adventure journal, but later in life, when I include my letter to my mother in this entry, all will become clear.